Heart of Fire
by BigChazz
Summary: Uzumaki Naruto did not forgive Nagato. In a last desperate struggle they take each others life and the world is left bereft the Child of Prophecy. With their hero gone and Tsunade in a coma Danzo is quick to capitalize. The cycle of hatred continues and amongst it all a spark is ignited. Striving to be the greatest, Sarutobi Konohamaru will show the world his heart of fire.
1. Chapter 1

**With over a thousand fan-fictions under my belt I wanted to try writing a story of my own. I'm open for critique and reviews will be appreciated.**

 **This story is Konohamaru centric because I have never seen a good story with him as the protagonist. I believe there is a lot of potential in his character and this is my shot at fleshing it out. No insane bloodline, demon-in-gut powers, or magical eyes. Just a story of hard work and human potential.**

 **I don't own Naruto or any of its character no matter how underdeveloped. Obviously.**

"Hi!" - Regular speech

'Yo' - Thoughts

Jutsu \- Jutsu

 _I Like italics_ \- Flashbacks

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Sarutobi Konohamaru awoke to darkness a fiery pain in his legs and one arm trapped by fallen timber. Moving his free hand he felt a hard surface in above him. Panicking he channeled chakra into his unpinned arm. Pushing desperately on the collapsed wall in front him he let out a shout of exertion as with a low groan it collapsed outward with a loud crash. Quickly freeing his trapped arm from a smoldering beam he performed a quick test of his extremities that proved no, he isn't crippled and that yes, he is in a lot of pain. The last thing he can recall is his overbearing tutor Ebisu shouting at him while pushing him down and then a great deafening blast.

After a few seconds the ringing in his ears was slowly replaced by a deathly silence. Glancing around with half-lidded eyes fogged by dust and tears of pain he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Blinking away the obstructions an overcast, ashen sky greeted his now cleared vision and the smell of burnt flesh and dust filled his nose. Slowly staggering to his feet, hissing as the bones in his left leg shift, he pushed himself forward to the edge of what looks like a large crater. As the wind picked up and cleared the dust in the air the young Sarutobi fell to his aching knees with nary a whimper.

The village his family had faithfully protected since its founding, the village he was named after, is gone. All that remains is a crater miles wide and hundreds of feet deep filled with water and rubble. The only thing Konohamaru can recognize amongst the destruction is the unmarred faces of past Hokage and the once great walls of Konohagakure solemnly standing guard.

A low rustling to his left caught his attention and as he dragged himself up through sheer force of will, a hand landed on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped up.

"Wah!" Palming a kunai and half-forming a Rasengan (Spiraling Sphere) he spun around.

A wide-eyed Hyuga, which he recognized by the lavender pupil-less eyes, dressed in standard Chunin gear deftly halted his movement and held him still lowly murmuring, "My apology honorable-grandson but it is not safe here. Please follow me. A group of survivors is currently gathering at the base of the Hokage Monument."

Seeing the Sarutobi meekly nod and begin to limp forward, the Hyuga, with a quick glance with his Byakugan to ascertain the damage, quickly scooped him up and began his slow pace to the base of the mountain.

With the adrenalin passing, Konohamaru's vision started fading. His last thoughts being of how this could have happened and praying for the safety of his precious people.

* * *

His unconsciousness fading, the sound of shouting greeted his ears as Konohamaru fought to wakefulness. Pushing himself off the cot he was on he noticed the sleeping bodies of several dozen shinobi laying around him. Running a hand through his dirt matted hair he looked down at himself grimacing as he saw bandages wrapped around many of his cuts and burns, His left leg in a splint, and his frayed blue scarf still around his neck. Slowly standing, he bit off a groan as he moved his sore body towards the entrance of the tent.

Pushing aside the flap he bit off a curse as the sun temporarily blinded him, quickly shielding his eyes he continued forward towards a large crowd of shouting people. Giving a cursory half-blind glance around he noted that there were several dozen tents erected around the monument with what look like people dressed in white hospital uniforms rushing back and forth between tents. Getting closer to the source of the commotion he came to stand behind several chunin dressed in Konoha regulation gear with bandages and casts on varying parts of their bodies.

Looking up he noticed a makeshift platform had been erected about 20 feet up the base of the monument. Trailing his eyes up and finally adjusting to the light his mouth went dry and his stomach dropped.

Elder Danzo Shimura stood upon the platform looking more imperious than he had any right to be. After a few minutes of shouting Danzo, lifting his un-bandaged hand, called for silence.

"Today, a tragedy unlike any the world has ever seen has been cast upon this once great village." Danzo paused ominously,"The man behind this atrocious act has been slain but not before he took the life of his killer Uzumaki Naruto."

The sinking in his stomach felt like a lead weight. Choking out a "brother!" unbidden tears begin their mournful trek down Konohamaru's face. The crowd erupted into shouting. Tapping his cane harshly on the platform silence once again reigns.

"With Naruto's sacrifice he slew the greatest threat to the Hidden Leaf since Madara Uchiha and bought us the time to rebuild and ready ourselves for the inevitable. An organization of now leaderless, powerful S-class missing ninja prowl the land and the other nations, like vultures, now circle us waiting for right time to pick at our corpse."

Raising his hand in a preemptive gesture for silence Danzo eyed the crowd. "What I will now reveal to you has been kept an S-class secret for 16 years."

A deathly hush was all that answered his proclamation.

"16 years ago The Nine-Tailed-Fox ravaged this village and was met and engaged in single combat by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. At the time of the fight his wife, a young woman by the name of Uzumaki Kushina gave birth to a baby named Naruto."

The silence was now deafening. Konohamaru felt physically ill as flashbacks of a teenager dressed in orange with a giant grin proclaiming his dream of being Hokage filled his mind, the laughing face of his boss and rival as they played ninja, and the fond remembrance as they sat together upon the third Hokage's head after his death. Tears streamed down his faced and his nose felt snotty as he looked back up to Danzo.

"The Fourth was no match for the Nine-Tails and he knew this. His great mind devised a Fuinjutsu unlike any ever seen. With this seal he would summon the death god and seal the Nine-Tails in his newborn son at the cost of his own life. With the help of his wife who had arrived to fight just after childbirth they trapped the Nine-Tailed-Fox and sealed him in to their son Naruto. Upon the Third Hokage's arrival to the battlefield Kushina had already passed away from blood loss and Minato was soon to follow. Minato wished for his child to be seen as a hero for his sacrifice as a Jinchuriki."

With knees weak and a heavy heart, Konohamaru's mind was plunged into turmoil. How had his brother in all but blood been so strong? to have such a burden and be so unappreciated. Anger clouded his mind as he remembered when he and the boss had been kicked out of several stores and restaurants. Naruto simply laughing it off talking about how they must still be angry about a prank.

"That night a law was passed. No one who knew was to tell those younger about Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki under penalty of death. Only the Hokage, the elder council, and Jiraiya of the Sannin knew of his parentage. He was given Uzumaki as a family name and placed amongst the orphanages to grow up and live a simple life. Naruto Uzumaki did much for this village and while his dream of being Hokage was never realized he died protecting this village like his father and past Hokage before him."

The crowd had grown in size as more stragglers came to hear the speech. Now preaching to several thousand, Danzo, raising his voice to a shout, "Now I stand before you. Lady Tsunade our Fifth Hokage slumbers in a coma and our hero lies dead. The village needs a firm hand to guide it back to glory now more than ever!—

Sick and tired of the old warmongers speech Konohamaru turned to leave and shuffled his way out of the crowd. His mind wandered to thoughts of Udon, Moegi, and his now dead brother. Losing himself on the road of life his feet guide him to the edge of the crater. His body mechanically finding a suitable area, he sat down letting his feet dangle over the edge.

The sound of birds chirping and taking flight finally broke Konohamaru of his melancholy. Shaking his head and looking out upon his broken home he couldn't help but lament. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the sky was a deep blue with nary a cloud in sight. A day with this much sadness shouldn't be so beautiful. As a cool breeze ruffled his frayed blue scarf tears leapt to his eyes and for the second time in his 12 year life he lost himself to overwhelming sadness. Sobs escape his lips as memories about his rival and brother Naruto surfaced.

For what seems like hours he cried. Sobbing as flashes of his brother laughing and smiling down at him flit through his mind. Chasing him as they played ninja and watching the sun set upon the village they had sworn to protect. His cries go on until he remembers the last time this happened. Boss had beat the shit out of him. Snorting in Laughter through his tears he knows this is exactly what his brother wouldn't have wanted. He was such a crybaby. Wiping his face with a sleeve he looked up at the sun. It felt almost like boss was smiling down at him as the warmth caressed his cheeks.

As his sobs slowly faded away the young Sarutobi looked out. The day was too beautiful for the tragedy that was visited upon this once great village not even a day ago. Through watery eyes he could see the shapes of rescue workers sorting through rubble looking for survivors and hear the lamentation of broken families mourning for loved ones. His mind wandered to a day much like this one many years ago when his grandfather took him to the top of the Hokage Monument and spoke to him.

* * *

 _The sun was just starting to set on a cool windy day in Spring as Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Professor and God of Shinobi, the strongest ninja Konohamaru had ever known, stood upon his own stone visage looking out upon the sprawling city of Konohagakure. Puffing on his pipe he placed one hand behind his back and the other on my head. Smiling he looked down at me._

" _Do you know why I gave you the name Konohamaru?" he asked._

 _With a pout I thought about it and looked up "no gramps, why?"_

 _With a genial smile he looked out to the village "Because when I first held you in my hands I knew you were destined for great things."_

 _"great things?" I asked with a quizzical look._

 _He chuckled, "Certainly young one. I saw the great potential you had and the heart of fire that burned within you."_

 _Frowning I looked up. "Heart a' fire? Wadya mean gramps?"_

 _With a sigh he turned to me and beckoned out towards to village "Do you see all of this Konohamaru? This is what every Hokage takes an oath to protect. Within the people of the village and its guardians burn a will of fire that has existed since the founding of the village. The will of fire is the will to protect what is precious to you. To be Hokage you have to not only have the strongest will of fire but also a heart of fire that burns hotter than the sun. The willingness to protect each man, woman, and child as if they were you own and the ability to rise above your own limitations. That is a heart of fire." He said as he tapped my chest._

 _Thinking about it and coming up empty I grabbed his robes and pulled "But gramps whas that got tado with ma name?"_

 _He chuckled and bent down to pick me up, lifting me into his arms I snuggled close inhaling his sweet-smoky sent as he said "One day long after I'm gone you will understand young one. Within you lies a heart of fire that burns like a thousand suns and the will to protect that this village was founded on. Just promise me that you will never stop striving to protect what's precious to you."_

 _With a sniffle I burrowed deeper into his arms "But I don wan you ta go gramps! I don care about a heart a' fire!"_

 _Holding me close he looked down at me with a fond smile "Ah but that is the great circle of life young one and death is nothing but the next great adventure. Don't worry though I have several years yet left in me." He said with a chuckle_

 _Looking up into his shadowed and wizened face I smiled "Then I promise I'll be Hokage! I'll live up ta my name n' make ya proud gramps!"_

 _With a hearty laugh he leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Then I pass on my beliefs to you and pray for your success young one. Now you look tired and it's getting chilly, better get you back inside before dark." And with a single hand seal we blurred away into the sun lit village._

* * *

Glancing towards the Hokage Monument Konohamaru sighed, "A heart of fire eh. I still don't get it gramps. What did you see that I can't?" With no answer bound to come he swiveled his head back towards to the crater. In his mind he started making a checklist.

First he had to find his friends and pay his respects towards the fallen. Then he would train. He would train long and hard until nothing could get in his way. As Konohamaru started to stand he began to shout his ambitions to the world.

"I will never let someone important to me down again!

I will become so strong that no one will doubt my will of fire!

I will become the greatest Hokage this village has ever seen!"

As he turned his back, the sun flaring behind him, his face hardened as he readied for what was to come. He didn't know what challenges he would face but he would fulfill the promise he made to his gramps and Naruto. He would become the greatest Kage the world had ever seen or he would die trying. Believe it.


	2. Chapter 2

**So starts act 1**

 **I don't own this shit. In fact I own very little but such is life.**

* * *

 **Act 1 Rebuilding**

 **Chapter 2**

The rising sun cast a long, menacing shadow upon the Village Hidden in the Leaves as Danzo Shimura, acting Rokudaime Hokage, let a grim smile stretch across his face. Standing atop his former rivals stoney visage he allowed himself a moments reprieve.

'At last' he thought to himself, 'The village is mine and all it took was its total annihilation. Now, just like a phoenix, the village will be reborn from the ashes and the world will quake in fear of our righteous anger.'

The Daimyo, with a disguised Kotoamatsukami (Distinguished Heavenly Gods), had quickly given in and with some subtle manipulation so had the council. Now all that stood in the way of his total control were a few pesky Jonin. Nara Shikaku would be a problem but without Hatake Kakashi the resistance had no real power and there was no better candidate for Hokage.

'Yes, Once this ridiculous Kage Summit is over the roots of our great tree shall consume the world.'

Tapping his cane on the rough stone two Root ANBU, with a whisper of wind, appeared standing at attention. "Gather three squads to follow my precession to the summit. Furthermore, double the guard on Lady Tsunade. If she wakes up you know what to do. We leave in three hours." With a salute and a nod they disappeared as quickly as they came.

Taking in the sight of the rebuilding village Danzo chuckles, "no longer shall we skulk in the shadows. The seasons have changed and now we stand on the precipice of a new dawn." Turning his back to the sun, flickering his hand, he vanishes in a swirl of leaves.

After a few minutes, emerging from the shadow of the trees, a figure dressed entirely in black silently made his way to stand upon the Hokage Monument. For a moment the figure watched the sunrise before letting loose a sigh and a "troublesome." Thinking over what he had just seen and heard he merged back into the shadows and disappeared.

As the sun began its daily ascent and bathed the village in a fiery light the wind picked up and unseen by anyone, the shadows of the leaves began a mocking jig.

* * *

The sky was beautiful and the temperature mild for a summer day in the Land of Fire. A cool breeze caressed Konohamaru's cheek as he sat next to training field 3 where the memorial stone remained undisturbed from all the conflict. Running his fingers across the engravings he wondered when the new names would be added. 'They'll probably need a new stone' he grimly thought to himself. A week had passed and already the village was moving on. Several districts had been rebuilt thanks to a Shinobi by the name of Yamato, who with the fabled Wood-Release, was able to quickly raise a new hospital and homes for refugees.

After Naruto's funeral and the eulogy for the dead he had hidden away for most of the week crying or raging at the unfairness of it all. Seeing his brother-in-all-but-bloods corpse, so cold and lifeless, as the procession brought it to be buried was more than he could bear. Finding out Udon and Moegi hadn't survived had sent him into a cationic state for the rest of the week. He knew he needed to start training. He had promised his gramps and Naruto that he would become Hokage. He had promised himself that he would get stronger but actually getting that strong gave him pause. His brother had been so strong and yet still died. How could he possibly match him? A hand landing on Konohamaru's head broke him of his thoughts. Turning his head to find Ebisu standing behind him looking down at the monument he decided to ignore him and looked back down.

"I thought I might find you here." Pausing to Kneel down beside Konohamaru, Ebisu started again in a gentler voice, "You know your friends would want you to keep your head up." Receiving no reply he sighs, "Udon and Moegi are in a better place now. I know you miss them. Kami knows I do, but you have to be strong." Slowly lifting himself back up Ebisu bowed his head to pay his respects. After a minute of silence he turned back to Konohamaru. "The elders of the Sarutobi clan are looking for you honorable-grandson. A new compound has been built for your clan and they are requesting your presence. Please follow me."

Receiving a silent nod in response Ebisu placed a hand on Konohamaru's shoulder. With a flicker of Ebisu's other hand and a whisper of leaves they took off towards the new clan compound.

Sequestered away from the bustling market area the clan compound was a simple affair. Much smaller than the old one it now resembled a sprawling one-story Japanese mansion with a small wooden wall around the outside. Far from the most opulent clan compound the Sarutobis, traditionally, lived relatively frugal lives.

Entering the suspiciously empty compound, they are led to a meeting hall by one of the servants. Entering Konohamaru was greeted to the sight of 6 of the remaining elders seated around a long rectangular table with a seat for him at the head. Ebisu, bowing to excuse himself, disappeared as Konohamaru walked over to his seat. Quickly sitting the stiff wooden chair making him fidget he internally started sweating. 'These meetings are only ever called in times of crisis and for me to be here something big must be going on, what could they possibly want.'

Clearing his throat an older man that Konohamaru recognized as his surviving granduncle Daiki, the acting clan head, stood up. "The Sarutobi Clan has existed since the Warring Clans era. We have faithfully protected this village since its founding and now with a scant 22 clansmen remaining we are one of the smallest clans left." Seeing nods of agreement and grumbles of unrest he continued, "Of the remaining clansmen only 4 are fit for Shinobi duties. Our stores were destroyed in the attack and our wealth consumed by repairs. Now Danzo is threatening to take our rights as a clan away if we can not find a way to provide for the village."

Breaking out in a cacophony of shouting and whispering one of the older men off to the side stood up, "We used to have over 30 active shinobi clansmen, I lost both my sons in the attack! How dare he question us after everything we've done for this village!"

Raising his hands in a calming gesture Daiki called for silence, "Yes and I feel for every loss as if they were my own but now we, as a clan, must decide how we will go about assuring Danzo that we can still contribute to the village."

Hearing enough Konohamaru roughly stood up, knocking his chair backwards in a loud clatter, "I don't care about what Danzo thinks, all we have to do is prove our strength right?!" Huffing he crossed his arms, "Then I'll just get strong enough to be Hokage and that'll be our proof."

The others looked at each other for a minute before Daiki turned to Konohamaru, "Another Sarutobi Hokage would certainly go a long way to proving our strength. But, how do you suppose that happen? I've read the reports and you're a mediocre student at best. You lack the discipline and patience required for such a task."

Konohamaru angrily snarled, "Gramps said I had it in me and I made a promise! Just you wait, I'll prove my strength and I'll never let another person close me down ever again!"

The old man looked slightly taken aback by the vehemence of the statement before a wide smile covered his face and he began laughing heartily, "Hahahaha, so much like your grandfather! Very well then young one, the clan will place its trust in you as we pray for your success." As one, the men at the table stood and bowed to Konohamaru who began looking uncomfortable. Daiki gave him a small smile, "You remind me so much of my brother Konohamaru. I know you will make this old man very proud." With a sigh and a wave of his hand he continued, "You are dismissed young one, we elders still have much to discuss."

With a nod and a fidget Konohamaru fled the room. Once outside an excited grin made its way to his face as he started making his way towards the clan library. A plan was forming in his head and now all he needed was the tools to go through with it. His grandfather, Sarutobi Hiruzen, was known as The Professor for a very good reason. A reason few actually knew. Hiruzen was the world's foremost expert on Ninjutsu. Not only could he manipulate all 5 elements and the Yin-Yang release but also rumor among the clan was that he could even negate an enemy's Jutsu. Konohamaru knew all of his gramps old notes used to be kept sealed amongst scrolls in his private study in the old clan compound. After Pain's attack the clan had picked apart the old compound for every scroll they could find. Now everything that was collected remained unsorted and relatively unprotected in the clan library, ripe for the picking.

Entering one of the larger rooms in the compound Konohamaru let his eyes adjust as he began examining the interior. The inside was made up of dozens of shelves filled with scrolls. There was little to no light and the place stunk of musty, wet paper. Brushing a few of the scrolls he began looking for any scrolls marked with gramp's personal seal. Finding one he bit his finger, smeared some blood on the scroll, and activated the Fuin(Seal) with a surge of chakra. The scroll burst open, cheering, he began peering at its contents. Reading the title Elemental Combinations he started skimming the scroll. His eyes widening as his eyes traced depictions of different elemental combinations and the devastation wrought by them. Thinking back Konohamaru remembered Ebisu teaching him about his elemental affinity and how with some training he could one day do this. Rapidly jumping up and down on his toes with a wide grin, "This is so cooool! I gotta learn how to do this."

With an excited nod, putting aside that scroll, he began searching for more.

Several hours passed before he stumbled upon a small unassuming scroll tucked away in the back of the room. With a surge of chakra and a smear of blood the scroll unraveled. Not seeing any title he started skimming the contents. Most of it head-spinning Jutsu theory he quickly gave up on deciphering it, however as his eyes neared the end of the scroll they get caught on a strange passage.

 _Energy can be neither created nor destroyed. However, energy can change forms, and energy can flow from one place to another._

With a confused grunt he looked below it and sees depictions that show an exchange of 'energy' between two battling shinobi one marked red and the other blue. "Red" begins performing a Jutsu as "Blue" makes a strange hand seal. The energy being used by "Red" is absorbed by "Blue" and redirected through his hand seal back and the resulting clash cancels out the "Red's" Jutsu. Below the depictions is a list of the 12 hand seals. Written next to the hand seals another vague sentence states,

 _For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction_

'All this science stuff is making my head hurt but I think this might be what I was after!' With an excited grin, he resealed the scroll while making up his mind to find someone much smarter than him to help decipher it.

Giving another cursory glance around he quickly grabbed another scroll on fire and earth release techniques before leaving.

Leaving the library he noted that the sun was set and decided it's best if he wait till tomorrow to bother Ebisu. Waving down an approaching clan member he asked for directions to his sleeping quarters. After being led through the compound the elderly clan member gives a short bow and an "Honorable-Grandson" before departing. Snorting to himself about old geezers and useless honorifics he made his way to his room. Finding it tucked away in a long hall filled with doors he enters and closes the door behind him. Looking around he noticed the small room is fairly spartan, with only a bed in the corner, desk, dresser, and a bedside table with an alarm clock. Making his way to the bed he tucked the scrolls away under it before sitting down.

Remembering another promise he had made a nervous laugh escaped him. The monkeys were gonna be pissed. Sighing, Konohamaru bit his thumb, went through the proper hand seals, and forced a large portion of chakra though his system. With a cry of "Kuchiyose-no-jutsu (Summoning Technique)" a plume of smoke erupted in front of him. After a seconds pause, a large fist came screaming out of the smoke; surprising the hell out of him he didn't even have enough time to react before the punch caught his jaw. Slamming into the wall behind him, cracking it with the force of the landing, he let out a loud groan as he slid to the floor.

After a few seconds of silence the smoke cleared to show Monkey King Enma standing with his arms crossed and a dangerously cold look on his face.

Cutting an imposing figure, Enma's body and tail are covered in white fur which protrudes from his sleeves and pants. He has long unkempt white hair that reaches to his back, long sideburns, and a goatee. He wears a black Gi with mesh armor underneath, over which he wears a black kimono shirt with white fur trimmings, and markings reminiscent of tiger stripes on it which is held together by a red sash. Lastly a konoha headband rests upon his creased brow.

Dizzily climbing to his feet, wincing as he rubed his jaw, which he is sure is probably cracked, Komohamaru lets out a whimper. He has known Enma for many years and that look on his face always means pain for the recipient.

In a icy cold voice Enma states, "Now I know I remember specifically telling you to update me on the happenings in Konoha. So imagine my surprise, when meeting with the toads, I find out both their summoners have died and Konohagakure was destroyed." turning into a growl his voice started rising as his fangs flashed and eyebrows drew together, "The Kyuubi is now set to reform in 9 years all the while a group of S-class missing nin roam the land causing untold strife. The world is on the precipice of war and I have to hear about all of this from a widowed, distraught toad sage and not my own summoner!"

Rushing to Konohamaru faster than he could see Enma slams him into the wall and pins his arms above his head. KI flaring and teeth drawn in a snarl Enma leered down at his captive."What the hell has happened to my village. You will tell me and I will decide what to do about our contract!"

Whimpering, stuttering, and fidgeting under The Monkey King's KI filled gaze, Konohamaru filled him in on the happenings and told him about Pain's assault on the village and the aftermath. Ending in a sobbing mess Konohamaru fell to the floor as Enma let him go and stepped back. Turning around Enma went still for several minutes.

Beginning in a much softer voice, "I'm very sorry about your loss young one. I apologize for my anger and disrespect. I was very close to Jiriaya-boy and had fond hopes for Naruto." Turning back around and slowly lifting the crying Sarutobi up he moved to the bed to lay him down. Placing a calming hand upon the boys brow, "You will have to grow strong young one. My own son shall help you achieve the strength you seek for I grow old and weary of such conflicts."

Taking Konohamaru's arm Enma brought it towards his mouth, "This will hurt, but trust me, the pain will be well worth it." Receiving a meek nod of acceptance from the quivering Sarutobi he bit down.

Screaming in pain, Konohamaru thrashed on the bed for several minutes before it finally receded. Collecting himself and wiping his face with his non-injured arm he looked to see black marks spreading from the bite forming a band around his arm. Bringing his arm closer to his face he notices it resembles a Bo-staff that encircles his forearm.

Looking up to Enma with a grimace, "So what does this do besides look cool and hurt like a bitch?"

Enma snorted, "Look cool indeed, this will allow you to summon my son. You will train with him and master the art of Bo-Jutsu (Bo techniques) and he will be your personal summon."

Enraptured by the tattoo he breathed in a low awe filled voice, "So cooool."

Shaking his head at the response Enma's face turned serious. "If you ever need me don't be afraid to summon me Konohamaru. I don't want you dying because you were afraid to summon me."

Receiving a nod in response he turned to dispel before pausing and looking over his shoulder. "One last piece of advice. Watch out for Danzo young one. I never trusted him and Hiruzen was a fool to let him off his leash for so long."

Seeing Konohamaru nod seriously, Enma, with one last assuring smile, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Letting out a breath, Konohamaru stretched out on his bed and turned to his thoughts. 'This is so cool! I finally have a personal summon and I get to start training with him just like gramps and boss. Now all I have to do is go find teach' in the morning and ask for his help. Then I'll finally be on my way to getting stronger.' Feeling his eyes grow heavy, his last thoughts before sleep claimed him were of his brother Naruto and all his lost friends and family.

As morning broke, Konohamaru rolled out bed with a renewed sense of vim and vigor ready for a new day. Seeing the rags his olds clothes had become he moved to the dresser. Opening it to find an assortment of different clothes, he put on what he thought looked the coolest and moved over to examine himself in the full body mirror by the dresser. Dressed now in a grey/black zip-up jacket, dark grey pants, and Genin issue black sandals he looked quite dashing. Finding some bandaging he wrapped it around his pant legs, starting at the shin and moving down to his ankle to keep them from flapping. Once done he then wrapped some around his forearm down to his fists to provide some marginal protection during training. Cinching the knot of his forehead protector, he gave an excited grin and thumbs up to himself in the mirror. Pulling the scrolls out from under his bed and he quickly left the compound speeding off towards the newly built hospital where he knew Ebisu to be volunteering today.

Rushing past some merchants in the new market area, Konohamaru lost in his thoughts and without looking up, blindly slammed headlong into a hard surface. With a meaty 'thunk' he hit the ground hard. Rubbing his head, "Damn, I feel like a ran into a billboard or something." Looking up he paled as he caught sight of a pink-haired demon. Stuttering out apologies he moved to help her stand before abruptly coming to a halt. Blood-shot eyes, frayed pink hair, and red streaks down her once-pretty face made for a upsetting and sad image. Hearing her murmur an apology he watched as she pushed past him and continued down the street. Remembering her to be boss's old teammate he looked off sadly for a second before his face hardened. 'Just another person I can't let down.' Shaking his head, he started down the street again, this time at a slower pace as he brooded on his village's destruction and the unjustness of his late-brothers fate.

Arriving several minutes later with a cleared head, Konohamaru quickly dashed towards his teacher as he was walking out of the hospital. "Ebisu! Ebisu!" his excitement growing as his teacher came within reaching distance. Quickly grabbing his him he started dragging him towards the training grounds.

Pushing his glasses up and quickly catching the disapproving glances they were getting Ebisu whispered quickly, "Please honorable-grandson keep your voice down. The injured are sleeping."

Konohamaru, Coming to a halt, rubbing his neck sheepishly, Sorry teach', I'm just really excited and need your help."

Glancing down at Konohamaru's hand and seeing the scrolls under his arm Ebisu smiles and places a hand on his shoulder. "Very well then, I'll take us to the training grounds." With a quick hand seal and a surge of chakra they take off.

Arriving in swirl of leaves Konohamaru looked up with a pout, "you really need to teach me how to do that."

"Maybe when your chakra control is decent I will." Ebisu laughed.

Sticking his tongue out Konohamaru huffed. After a minute he schooled himself and turned to Ebisu. "I told the clan I'd become the Hokage... I promised Naruto and gramps that I'd be Hokage. I swore to be the strongest." his frustration growing, "I know I'm not as strong as boss or even anywhere close but I need to get stronger fast so I can protect the village and those precious to me." Ebisu's face was shadowed as he regarded him for a minute. Before Konohamaru could continue Ebisu interrupted him.

"You can do it." The matter-of-fact response stunned Konohamaru.

Pushing up his glasses, Ebisu continued, "Did you know that I asked specifically to train you?" With a numb shake of Konohamaru's head as a response he sighed, "I was first introduced to you as a chunin while studying Jutsu theory under the Lord Third and I knew right away you would do great things. There's a fire that burns in you much like your grandfather. Everything you put your heart and mind to comes easily and you are already far above your peers."

With a shrug and a smirk, "plus I wouldn't waste me time on you if I didn't think you couldn't become an elite."

Looking down at the scrolls in Konohamaru's hands he beckoned him forward. "Now lets see what you have here."

Wiping a stray tear from his eye, 'pesky gnats' and nodding, Konohamaru quickly kneeled down and unsealed the first scroll. "This was one of gramp's scrolls about elemental combinations. The others are some fire and earth technique scrolls. This one though is some of his personal notes. Down at the bottom is some weird theory jargon that I don't understand but I think its what I was looking for."

Giving a cursory glance down the scroll, Ebisu's eyes widened as he got to the bottom and with an astonished gasp. "These are notes on the Lord Thirds Mu-Jutsu (Negation Technique). No one thought he would write it down and assumed it was last." Getting his emotions back in check Ebisu continued, "Back when I studied under the Lord Third, we discussed theory on elemental manipulation and combination techniques. I wont bore you with the details but it was fascinating stuff. Unfortunately I never got the chance to ask about his Mu-Jutsu (Negation Technique). It's legendary on the battlefield. During the Second Shinobi War in his famous battle with the Third Tsuchikage,6 he negated all but Onoki's infamous dust techniques. He was able to interpret hand seals and prepare a counter just at a glance. Lord Third truly earned his moniker as the God of Shinobi."

Looking up to see Konohamaru's mouth hanging open he chuckled. Looking back to the scroll, "This isn't all of it I imagine as this is just a vague description but that might very well be all he wrote down."

Konohamaru jumped up excitedly, "Then I'll complete it and learn it just like gramps did! I know I need to learn a lot of theory and techniques but I'm prepared."

With a proud smile Ebisu nodded and stood up. Walking over to Konohamaru he leveled a hard look at him and started projecting his KI. In a dead-serious tone he stated, "Sarutobi Konohamaru, I will teach you all the theory I know. I will teach you every Jutsu known to me. I will push you to your limits and then beyond. You will not complain. You will not question. You will do exactly as I say, when I say it. You will put your heart and mind to this task. You will master everything I show you. Do you accept my terms?"

Standing at attention and feeling the weight of the words crash down on him, Konohamaru looked into his teachers glasses and with a "Yes Master" gave a solemn nod.

Reigning in his KI, Ebisu flashed him a small smile and with a quick hand seal summons a Kage-Bushin (Shadow clone) turning to Konohamaru he instructed him to also make a clone. Crossing his fingers and projecting his chakra an identical copy of Konohamaru appeared in a plume of smoke. Ebisu, giving a small nod, addressed the two boys. "While impressive as being able to summon Shadow Clones is, something you probably never realized about them is that knowledge gained by them is relayed back to the creator once they are destroyed." Seeing the baffled look Konohamaru was giving him, he instructed the boys clone to follow his clone into the woods a short distance away. Once far enough away his clone lowly whispered to Konohamaru's clone, "I love Icha-Icha" and swiftly delivered a chop to the clone's neck resulting in a popping noise and a plume of smoke. Nodding, Ebisu's clone promptly dispelled itself in another plume of smoke.

Not a second later shouting erupted from the clearing as Konohamaru pointed at his teacher, "AH HA! I knew you were a pervert teach'! Wait, so that's what you meant? I gain the knowledge of whatever my clones do? That's so cool! Why didn't boss tell me though?"

Ignoring the boy's crass comment about his perverted tendencies, Ebisu motioned for Konohamaru to calm down. "He either didn't get the chance to tell you or didn't know. As for the knowledge transfer yes, almost everything your clones'do is relayed to you once they pop. Usually used for scouting and subterfuge, Shadow Clones cost more chakra than the average shinobi has. You though, have enough chakra to make special use of them. Every day you will meet me here and make clones that will follow my clone. They will learn theory, katas, and Jutsu while you will stay with me and run drills to strengthen your body. This will continue until I believe you are ready to start doing missions again."

Giving rapid, jerky nods Konohamaru looked ready to burst. "I got ya teach'! Give me your worst and I'll return it ten-fold!"

Pushing up his glasses a grim smile stretched across Ebisu's face. "Welcome to boot camp Konohamaru. I hope your ready because I'm going to shape you into the next God of Shinobi or die trying."

With a determined look on his charge's face, he settled into a fighting stance. Ebisu, also settling into a stance, started beckoning with his hand in the universal come-at-me motion. Konohamaru, letting out a loud whoop, charged forward with a fire in his eyes and smile on his face.

* * *

 **I decided to give Hiruzen a brother. Daiki literally translates to Impressive or Grand Tree which I thought fitting. It's OC and he will have a part to play so no worries.**

 **I hope you like the Negation Technique theory. I'm not a scientist and I'm sorry if I offend anyone by not obeying to the Law of Conservation of Energy or Newton's Third Law. Credit goes to Shezza's Life in Konoha's ANBU as he used this kind of idea first.**

 **Mu translates literally to Negative by the way. Just in case anyone was wondering.**

 **On honorifics and Japanese in general. I'm not gonna frog up this fic with crappy honorifics and poor translations. If done well its cool and I don't mind but I, myself will not be doing it. The most you'll see out of me is the techniques, Kages, and names written family name first.**

 **On the subject of shadow clones. No he will not make hundreds. Ever. He will make 5 or so. I believe he showed proficiency to make a couple in the manga but I can't remember.**

 **Thanks and please review. Any advice is good advice. Well... Maybe not but I like to think so.**


End file.
